Parents say no to smartphones for kids

SOUTH African parents have taken a stand against giving smartphones to children in primary school, getting the thumbs up from Childline KZN and resulting in the launch of South Africa's first-ever voluntary digital parent pact.

The initiative spearheaded by SFC (formerly Smartphone-Free Childhood), is designed to empower parents who don't want their children to have smartphones before they’re in high school, and experts say this collective approach helps them against the growing pressure to introduce smartphones and social media to their children at an increasingly younger age.

SFC says the overwhelming evidence shows that the early use of smartphones is bad for children’s mental health.

“Rates of depression, anxiety and suicide in young people have soared since 2010, when children first began receiving smartphones,” said Courtney Atkinson, a SFC working group member.

“Today’s young adults (18-24-year-olds) are the first generation to have gone through adolescence with this technology. The data shows that the younger they were when they received their first smartphone, the worse their mental health is today,” she said. “With alarming statistics revealing that 62% of South African learners have access to a phone or tablet by age 10, the urgency for action is undeniable, " said Atkinson.

The digital parent pact requires a minimum of ten parents from the same school and grade to sign up online, which subsequently "unlocks" the pact for that group.

This feature fosters connections among like-minded families, thereby creating a robust support network within local school communities.

Already all 18,000 registered primary schools across South Africa have been integrated into the pact, enabling widespread participation.

SFC is part of the global “Smartphone-Free Childhood” initiative, founded in the United Kingdom in March and supported by over 100,000 parents in more than 60 countries.

Atkinson said that SFC’s digital parent pact attempts to change the outcome by offering a collective, community-based solution and by collaborating with other parents, families can reduce the pressure on their children, confident that they are not alone in delaying smartphone use.

Childline KZN’s director Adeshini Naicker has welcomed the pact saying that the use of smartphones by children can lead to several disadvantages. This includes reduced face-to-face social skills, increased screen time that may affect their physical health, and exposure to inappropriate content. “It also poses dangers related to online predators and cyberbullying. Furthermore, it can disrupt attention spans and interfere with essential developmental activities, such as outdoor play and creative imagination,”said Naicker.

Wellness and trauma therapist Jaishiela Kooverjee believes the pact carries value but questioned whether it was practical.

“I fully support the idea of no smartphones before high school, but what impact will such a pact really have in a world that's becoming increasingly digital? Instead, we should focus on teaching families and children how to maintain a healthy balance in their lives while introducing activities that promote brain development,” said Kooverjee.

The SFC initiative also collaborates with Cape Town-based Bluegrass Digital, which shares a commitment to prioritising the healthy development of children in the digital age.

“We understand both the power and risks of technology, and we are proud to support a project that prioritises children’s healthy development,” said the company’s director, Mark Hawkins.

The SFC survey, which included 500 parents primarily from the Western Cape, highlighted a desperate need for communal support. At least 90% of parents expressed a desire for assistance from schools in managing smartphone use, with concerns ranging from inappropriate content access (81% of respondents) to mental health impacts (74%) and addictive behaviours (69%). Strongly, 82% of families supported the concept of a voluntary pact to delay smartphone access.

“SFC’s digital parent pact aims to change this narrative by offering a collective, community-based solution,” adds Atkinson. “By aligning with other parents, families can reduce the pressure on their children, confident that they are not alone in delaying smartphone use.”

The launch of the parent pact coincided with the SFC’s "Press Pause, Go Play" event held last week. Digital law expert Emma Sadleir stressed the importance of this community support and warned that premature smartphone introduction can lead to serious consequences.

Parents interested in joining the pact are encouraged to visit www.sfc-sa.co.za to learn more about becoming part of this collective effort.